From left-to-right are Chiredzi athletes Promise Kanuka from Malipati,Victor Gutu and Hlengani Michael

from PATRICK CHITONGO in Chiredzi, ZimbabweCHIREDZI, (CAJ News) – ANIMAL rights and conservancy groups are making the most of the influence of sports globally to raise awareness on the dangers faced by some species in Zimbabwe.

The efforts have been taken the biggest stage, the London Marathon, held in the British capital.

The Kenyan pair, Eliud Kipchoge (men’s race), and Brigid Kosgei (women’s race), emerged the winners of the annual event but endangered species in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the region were winners.

Three athletes from Chiredzi, southeast Zimbabwe- Hlengani Michael, Promise Khanuka and Victor Gutu- participated at the 52 kilometre London Marathon after the Gonarezhou Trust sponsored them.

They are employees of the Gona reZhou National Park, which is now in a co-management model with the Frankfurt Zoological Society, a Germany based animal conservation that has made a turnaround in flora and fauna in Ginarezhou since the coining of a 20-year co-ownership agreement in 2017 with Parks and Wildlife Management.

“Our focus on this tournament is that while we are raising animal conservation awareness campaigns, we need our employees to have appreciation that they are part of the project,” said Gona reZhou Trust Director, Hugo van Dar Westhulzen.

Van Dar Westhulzen hinted at sponsoring local members of the community to participate in the annual event.

“Next year, we are going to involve members of the community on the same focus,” he said.

Gutu, a game ranger at Gonarezhou, had the most experience leading to the London tournament.

He has twice participated in the 42km Sky Run marathon race in Nyanga, since last year.

Khanuka and Michael were in this event for the first time.

The race is meant to campaign for animal rights and conservancy across Zimbabwe.

from ADANE BIKILA in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaADDIS ABABA, (CAJ News) – LONG distance Ethiopian athletes showed the world what African runners can do when they dominated both men and women’s races in

Tebalu Zawude Heyi

Rome, Italy on Sunday.

Hard running Tebalu Zawude Heyi beat a cluster of 10,000 other contestants to win ahead of fellow countrymen Tesfa Wokneth and Yihunilign Adane as Ethiopia clinched all top three men’s category.

Heyi came first in 2hr 8min 37sec followed by Wokneth (2.9:17) whilst Adane compelted the Ethiopians’ domination of the men’s International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2.9: 53.

As that was not enough, Ethiopian ladies Alemu Megertu, Muluhabt Tsega and Chaltu Negesse outclassed their rivals in stunning performance as they equally dominated women’s race in (2.22:52), (2.26:41) and (2.30:45) respectively.

The race was the 25th Rome Marathon in both men’s and women’s events that saw Ethiopians raise their country’s flag high.

by SAVIOUS KWINIKAPRETORIA, (CAJ News) – THE Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is to deliver its ruling on the controversial call to restrict female

Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi

athletes’ testosterone levels, a decision that will have an impact on three athletes in the African continent.

Global sports body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), seeks the

Margaret Wambui of Kenya

court to rule in its favour and against South African Olympic champion, Caster Semenya.

Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and kenya’s Margaret Wambui are also facing similar challenges.

The week-long hearing court case is expected to end on Friday before the final verdict on or before March 26.

IAAF’s case is that athletes with hyperandrogenic or differences of sexual development (DSD) should seek treatment aimed at lowering their testosterone levels below a prescribed amount if they wish to continue competing as women.

It believes such athletes always had huge advantage over “normal female athletes” in the racing field.

However, Semenya’s legal team and the South African government strongly believe the move is a serious violations on the rights of female athletes.

This has prompted South African Minister of Sports, Thokozile Xasa to travel to Switzerland in a bid to give support to Semenya’s case against IAAF.

This is according to a group of innovative South Africans who are making the most of this technology to build the largest decentralised database for sports data.

Blockchain, which by design is a decentralised technology that uses a global network of computers to manage a database of records or transactions jointly, has inspired the birth of SportsPodium a platform that allows individuals participating in sport to record their sports information on a daily basis.

The information is verified using various algorithms, and in return, blockchain will issue these individuals with tokens.

It is anticipated decentralising information is a vital step in changing the sports industry, with SportsPodium pledging a transparent and ethical way to facilitate the flow of funds in the sports industry and eventually reduce corruption.

“I think that blockchain technology has introduced us to a new way of solving some of our biggest problems,” SportsPodium co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jaco Rossouw, said in Johannesburg.

He said blockchain would enable people to capture their daily training, dietary and competition information while being rewarded with cryptocurrency.

“By incentivising users with blockchain tokens, we are essentially unlocking a value in sport that is both transparent and fair,” Rossouw said.

SportsPodium also has a network of sports ambassadors across several sporting disciplines, and this network of recognised, household names, along with community interaction, will ensure large-scale user adoption of the platform.

Natalie du Toit, the Paralympic swimming star and Chief Development Officer for SportsPodium, said sport empowers people and has the power to change the world.

She said SportsPodium was also a community project bringing together retired and current athletes as well as peers.

“The benefits of this project filter from top to bottom and bottom to top, and it’s an opportunity for us to really grow sport and level the playing field,” du Toit said.

SportsPodium will be holding a challenge to golfers worldwide from June 21 to 28 this year.

Using golf as the first sports discipline to populate its database, SportsPodium hopes to break the world record for the most golfers in one competition.

Rossouw said golf was their first sport because, historically, golfers are used to logging their data.

During the challenge in June SportsPodium will be asking golfers to enter their results into the app.

“There are over 60 million golfers worldwide. We need over 325 000 players to take part in order to break the world record,” Rossouw explained.– CAJ News

]]>http://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/05/24/blockchain-technology-tipped-to-revolutionise-sa-sport/feed/0SA flies Africa flag highest at Commonwealth Gameshttp://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/04/16/sa-flies-africa-flag-highest-at-commonwealth-games/
http://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/04/16/sa-flies-africa-flag-highest-at-commonwealth-games/#commentsMon, 16 Apr 2018 11:12:25 +0000http://cajnewsafrica.com/?p=26044by SAVIOUS KWINIKA JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa has underlined its status as the continent’s sporting powerhouse with an impressive showing at the just ended Commonwealth Games held in Australia.

The continent’s number one sporting nation collected 37 medals to finish sixth out of 71 participating nations.

South Africa clinched 13 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals.

Athletes Caster Semenya, Luvo Manyonga and Akani Simbine as well as swimmer Chad Le Clos are among others that outshone their international competitors in their respective codes.

Tsepo Mhlongo, a local legislator, praised Team South Africa for its medal haul.

“Sport brings tangible changes to peoples’ lives and plays a vital role in our national project of social cohesion,” Mhlongo said.

Nigeria meanwhile was the second best team of the continent (Africa), and ninth overall with 24 medals.

The West Africans managed nine gold, nine silver and six bronze medals.

Other African nations that did well in the Commonwealth Games include Kenya, who finished 14th overall, Uganda (15th), Botswana (16th), Namibia (19th), Cameroon (32nd), Mauritius (35th), Ghana (40th) and Seychelles (42nd).

by SAVIOUS KWINIKAJOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – AFTER a lengthy recess caused by the league cup tournament and the international fixtures, the Absa Premiership, Africa’s most lucrative league, resumes this weekend with favourites Mamelodi Sundowns eager to enhance their position atop the standings.

After booking their place in the Nedbank Cup semifinals, the Pretoria side will be back in action away to seventh-placed Baroka FC, who are also determined to finish in the top eight for the first time in their brief history in the elite league.

The 15h00 hours kickoff at the Peter Mokaba Stadium is among six matches set for this weekend as the league resumes after a break emanating from the Nedbank Cup and the FIFA fixtures.

Talent Chawapiwa

Aside from their 0-1 Nedbank Cup loss to Kaizer Chifes this past weekend, Baroka are enjoying their best spell in the league and will depend on the likes of Talent Chawapiwa and Richard Matloga for inspiration against Downs.

On the other hand, Sundowns, who have one-point lead and one game advantage against second-placed Orlando Pirates, have the marauding Percy Tau and Khama Billiat to secure maximum points.

Their on form captain Hlompho Kekana, overlapping right back Thapelo Morena and goalkeeper Dennis Onyango are also key Sundowns hopes of snatching the title back from Bidvest Wits.

Elsewhere, fifth-positioned Chiefs host Chippa United at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The match kicks off at 15h00.

The Soweto giants are bubbling of confidence following weekend’s Nedbank Cup success.

Fourth-placed Free State Stars travel to Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday for an encounter against Golden Arrows. Stars have also booked a berth in the Nedbank Cup semis, alongside third-placed Maritzburg United, who host Cape Town City at Harry Gwala Stadium in KwaZulu-Natal also on Saturday.

Bloemfontein Celtic and AmaZulu FC battle at Dr Molemela Stadium in the Free Stateto round off the weekend’s proceedings.

With personal bests of 2:19:31 and 2:19:52 respectively, Mergia and Dibaba are the fastest women in the field and their race for the US$200 000 first prize will be one of the major battles to watch in the first big marathon meeting of the year.

“We are excited to have two huge talents leading the women’s field,” said Event Director, Peter Connerton.

He pointed out Mergia had won every time she has raced in Dubai, while Dibaba had won World Championship and Olympic medals since finishing third in Dubai in 2012.

Mergia, who turns 33 three days before the event, is rated the greatest female runner in the history of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon having won three times and set the course record of 2:19:31 in her three appearances.

Mare Dibaba

It will be her first start in the world’s richest marathon since her last victory in the UAE in 2015.

She faces stiff competition from Dibaba, Marathon gold medalist at the 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships and a bronze medal winner at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and defending champion, Worknesh Degefa, also of Ethiopia.

– CAJ News

]]>http://cajnewsafrica.com/2018/01/15/ethiopian-trio-set-to-dominate-dubai-marathon/feed/0Presidential praise for brilliant Team South Africahttp://cajnewsafrica.com/2017/08/15/presidential-praise-for-brilliant-team-south-africa/
http://cajnewsafrica.com/2017/08/15/presidential-praise-for-brilliant-team-south-africa/#commentsTue, 15 Aug 2017 13:55:59 +0000http://cajnewsafrica.com/?p=21847By TINTSWALO BALOYIJOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has congratulated the South African for winning six medals at the just-concluded International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Championships 2017 held in the United Kingdom.
The haul in London secured South Africa third place in the medals table.
“We wish to heartily congratulate our Team South Africa for their sterling performances on the tracks and a job well done at the IAAF World Championships 2017 in London,” said Zuma.
“The country is extremely thrilled and proud of our athletes, in particular those who won the six medals, for this remarkable achievement and excellent performance that earned South Africa a third place in the medals table, trouncing the most advanced countries in the tournament,” the President added.
Zuma further extended his sincere gratitude to all South Africans, technical teams and management.
Team South Africa accomplished three gold medals through Wayde van Niekerk who won in the men’s 400m race; Luvo Manyonga who won in the men’s long jump and Caster Semenya who won in the women’s 800m race last night.
Van Niekerk won South Africa’s only silver medal in the men’s 200m while Ruswahl Samaai won a bronze medal in the men’s long jump and was joined by Semenya who won a bronze medal in the women’s 1 500m race.
– CAJ News